Right to Rule
by Athena's Helm
Summary: An old friend of Athena, long thought to be dead, shows up. The King of the Gods is exposed to be a total jerk, and Athena gets REALLY angry at her father. Civil War ensues. Told from the point of view of the returning god's son.
1. Anicetus

**I'm working on this and my other story simultaneously. **

I was sitting on a park bench, nose in a good book, in full war armor. A shield, Aegis, and my celestial bronze spear were propped up against my leg. My helmet, complete with a regal bronze owl and blood red adornments, sat next to me. **(A/N: Check my profile page...I have the URL to the painting "Rembrandt's Athena" posted there... its what his armor is supposed to look like. And yes, the helmet is the helmet in my profile pic)** After weeks of gathering information, I had finally figured out what this looked like to mortals through the mist; a Kevlar vest, a broom, a dustpan, and a construction helmet with an owl painted on it. Which explained why the mortals tended to just shoot me funny looks; an eighteen year old dressed in Kevlar and holding a mop is not something you see every day.

I was on the second to last page of the gripping thriller I was holding, when a curious duo ran by me. A boy and a girl, about my age, in simple bronze armor and holding weapons. The boy had black hair, the girl was a blonde. They were unmistakable. It was Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus, and his best friend, Annabeth Chase. And they were running from a full phalanx of armored Laestrygonians.

I sighed. Being who I was, the son of such a powerful god, I never get much of a break from fighting, which is why I was wearing full armor for a simple visit to the park. In fact, the Laestrygonians were probably looking for me when they found those two heroes.

I put the helmet over my head, hefted my shield and spear, and yelled "hey ugly!"

"He over there!" one of the more intelligent Laestrygonians grunted, pointing in my direction, "son of power god! He over there!" The whole phalanx, all thirty of the ugly beasts, turned towards me, and broke out into a sprint.

I groaned. I was at least hoping for them to split up. I glanced around, searching for some sort of tactical advantage to make use of. Nothing was in sight. This was one of those meadow parks that were just one big, flat field that people played volleyball or had parties at.

Waiting until the angry beasts closed to about three meters, I leveled my Aegis at them. Unfortunately, the gorgon shield doesn't have as much of an effect on the bumbling Laestrygonians as it does on other beasts, but it gave them pause.

I let out a fierce war cry, and dove into the center of the phalanx, turning two monsters into golden dust with my spear as I did so. I rolled right under the second and third ranks, came up behind the confused creatures, and hacked about a half dozen more to dust. But, just like that, my advantage disappeared, and there were still about twenty of the things.

A nearby Laestrygonian swung a huge club at me. I raised my shield and braced myself. The swing almost knocked me off my feet, shield and all, but I just stumbled backwards and regained my balance. Diving under his returning arm, I ran the beast through the stomach with my spear, and he slowly crumbled to dust.

Nine down, twenty-one to go. And the others were surrounding me. Just great.

Suddenly, two others appeared by my side; Jackson and Chase.

"Glad you could join me," I muttered to the pair of them. Neither of them heard. They were both staring at me, probably wondering who the Hades I was.

The Laestrygonians slowly closed in, and I made a snap decision. I usually hated using my power- it made me very drowsy- but this was probably life or death. So I leveled my spear, and concentrated.

Slowly but surely, streaks of what looked like pure white light began to form, seemingly out of the air itself, and coalesce into a glowing, undefined ball at the end of my spear. As the ball of light grew to about a meter wide, I began to feel sleepy. Figuring I wouldn't be able to get it much bigger, I jabbed my spear in the direction of the main body of Laestrygonians.

The pulsating ball erupted into a river of white light, and flew in the direction the spear was pointing. It caught a Laestrygonian full in the chest. He dissolved instantly, and the white light began to jump and arc in streams from monster to monster, turning them to dust.

I concentrated hard on not letting it touch me or the two startled demigods behind me. That was a difficult task; after power is released, it hates to be constrained.

Finally, the last monster turned to dust, and the power began to dissipate. I staggered backwards, feeling the massive drain on my energy. Taking deep breaths, I patiently waited for my energy to return to me.

Finally, it did, and I rounded on the incredulous demigods. "Thanks for all the help," I said sarcastically.

"D…d…doesn't l…look like you…n…n…needed it," stammered the girl, Annabeth Chase.

"That was huge drain on my energy, you know," I told them, "it's very difficult to control that much power."

She was about to say something, but was cut off by a blood curdling shout. I looked into the distance. On a nearby ridge, the rest of the Laestrygonian tribe was forming up, probably a hundred strong.

I had to make a split-second decision. I had never taken anyone else to my fortress before, but it seemed like that was the only place for the three of us to go. I couldn't just leave them here, and we were in no state to fight a full tribe of Laestrygonians.

I made up my mind. "Follow me, and run!" I said, dashing off into a nearby forest. The frightened half-bloods followed without question.

Half an hour later, we arrived at my home; a massive Greek-style fortress in the middle of a Pennsylvania forest. The main building was a large rectangle, thirty feet high and adorned by columns, capped off with defensive ramparts. In each of the four corners of the building was a tower, each rising another ninety feet off the roof of the main fort. The whole thing was made of beautiful white marble.

I sprinted up to the main gate, opened a box, and entered my pin number. The portcullis withdrew, and I stepped inside. Percy and Annabeth were following me in the manner of zombies, staring around at the place, not really watching where they were going.

"Welcome, to my home," I told them, gesturing to the grand hall we had just entered.

I dragged the gaping demigods to the kitchen, where I thrust squares of ambrosia in their faces. "Eat," I commanded. "You'll feel better." They probably already knew that, but I wasn't sure how much they learned at that camp half blood, so it was best to play it on the safe side.

They both ate in nervous silence, glancing around at the expansive kitchen. I took off my helmet and laid it on the table next to my shield and spear. Then I just sat back, and silently observed the confused demigods.

Finally, Annabeth spoke up, "um, thanks for the…erm…," she gulped.

I shook my head, "don't mention it."

"Shouldn't we be concerned about the Laestrygonians. I think they followed us," she asked, nervously.

I shook my head again, "my automated defenses will take care of them."

"Automated defenses?" inquired Annabeth.

"Self-aware ballistae," I said, hoping they didn't ask too many more questions about this place.

"Sort of like automatons?" asked Percy, finally speaking up. So much for not being asked too many questions.

I sighed. "Sort of, I guess."

He was about to ask another question about my fortress, when Annabeth, sensing that I didn't want to discuss it, changed the subject.

"So…" she said, "I should probably introduce us. we are-"

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," I said, nodding to each in turn. "Quite the unlikely couple," I observed.

"What…we…no…not…" stammered Percy.

"Were not together," said Annabeth simply. Ha! As if. Before I could say something like that, she asked what my name was.

"Anicetus," I responded. I have a patently Greek name. I think it means "unconquerable".

"Weird name," murmured Percy. Annabeth slapped him.

"Perseus! Don't be rude," she growled at him.

"Don't call me Perseus," he responded angrily, rubbing the red welt on his cheek.

"I will call you Perseus if and when I feel like it, Seaweed Brain," she shouted.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, reminding them that I was still sitting in front of them.

They both blushed. "Got a last name?" asked Percy, trying to avoid an awkward silence.

"No."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, "you a god or something?"

I laughed. "No, just a demigod."

"You look about our age," she said, looking me up and down, "and I've never seen you at camp. How do you know about demigods and everything?"

Dang. I was hoping to avoid this subject, "uhh…" I said nervously, "my immortal parent drops in every once and awhile."

"Athena," she stated. I looked around, wondering why Athena would be here. But she wasn't.

"Um…what?" I said.

"Your god parent," she responded, "its Athena, isn't it."

She was wrong, of course. Even if I gave them eternity, they would never guess correctly. You see, my god parent is supposed to be dead. "What gave you that impression," I asked, curious as to why she jumped to Athena first.

"Grey eyes, for one," she began to list, "then there is the owl helm. And this amazing architecture," she said, gesturing to the building, "and you seem pretty smart," she concluded,

I shook my head.

"It's Apollo, isn't it," said Percy. Wow, he was _waaaay_ off.

"What?" I asked, even more curious as to what led to the conclusion this time.

"Well, he's the god of the sun, ya know."

"Uhh… yea…" I said, not following his logic.

"And that awesome thing you did with light earlier," he said.

It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh," I said, "that wasn't light, that was power."

"Excuse me?" said Annabeth.

"Power," I repeated. "It was a ball of pure power."

"Then you must be a son of Zeus," said Percy. oh, that was _waaaaaaaaaayyyyyy _off. Like, even farther than Apollo. Actually, my father disliked Zeus a whole lot. Understatement

I shook my head.

"Are you going to tell us, or are we going to have to play twenty questions?" asked a frustrated Annabeth.

"Neither, actually," I said with a sense of finality. I _really_ wanted to avoid trouble. And if word of my father got out, there would be a whole heap of trouble.

After a minute of silence, "I'm assuming you want to go back to your little 'camp' now."

"Is it safe?" inquired Annabeth.

"I'm sure the Laestrygonians have crashed against my defenses by now," I observed, "and if there are any stragglers, you should be able to handle them."

Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other nervously, "actually," said Percy, "we want you to come with us."

Dang. I was afraid of this.

I folded my arms over my armor menacingly. "Why?"

Apparently I looked pretty scary, because they both cowered a little. Eventually Annabeth spluttered, "well…I…uhm…you wouldn't want us to…er…spread the word about this little hideout you have here, would you?"

I narrowed my eyes, "you wouldn't" I said, threateningly fiddling with my Aegis and spear on the table.

"Uh…yea we would," stuttered Percy, looking to Annabeth for support.

"Then I could always kill you," I bluffed. Percy was about to say something, but I answered the question he was about to ask before he asked it, "and I _do_ know where your Achilles spot is, Jackson. The small of your back."

"How…what…I never…"

I leaned back in my seat, sensing victory. I had him thoroughly spooked. "I see the way you walk. It's slightly off, as if you are protecting something. Then, whenever I do this," I said, threateningly reaching for my spear again, "you move your hands back there."

Percy paled. Annabeth just studied me. "You're bluffing," she concluded in a calm even tone. "You wouldn't kill us." Crap. There goes my intimidation factor.

Freaking children of Athena! They're all so damn perceptive! I have _no_ idea what my dad sees in that woman. Too smart for her own good, if you ask me. Then again, my dad and I are probably the same way…

"Fine," I huffed, "I'll come with you." It was probably a bad idea, but I didn't see any way out of this.

Annabeth stood, pulling a still shell-shocked Percy up with her. I grabbed my shield and spear, and fitted the owl-adorned helmet onto my head.

I knew how to get to camp half blood, though I had never been there, so I led us out the kitchen and back into the massive main hall. Hitting a few buttons on a panel, I opened up the main gate, and we stepped out. The massive door closed behind us.

Most of the long walk to New York was silent. I tried to keep my distance from the other two to avoid conversations. It's not that I'm a cold or distant person, it's just that I've learned that its best to try not to get to know too many demigods. Eventually, the topic of discussion would end up at my heritage. It was a topic I liked to avoid. Why? Because questions would be asked, truths revealed, and, judging by what my dad has told me about Athena, civil wars would be fought.

Unfortunately, Annabeth eventually tried to talk to me. Percy remained mute; I guess he was still a little freaked out that I managed to figure out his Achilles spot.

"So…" she began, "what do you do?"

"What do you mean," I asked her.

"What do you do? I mean, you must do something other than sit around or fight monsters, right?"

I knew where this was going; she was going to find out as much about me as she could, and try to guess my god parent. I was fairly certain she would never get it, though. My dad is supposedly dead.

"I have a sizeable personal library back there," I said. "All the classics, from Virgil to Steinbeck. Nonfiction, too. Books on law, engineering, military strategy-"

"You a strategist?" she asked curiously.

I nodded. "Strategist and tactician both," I frowned, "but living alone, I don't get to test my large-scale ideas very much…nobody to command, no army to lead." I glanced at Annabeth, "you're a strategist too?"

She nodded, "yup."

"It must be nice," I murmured.

"What must be nice?"

"To actually have other demigods to command," I said, longingly. "Have an actual army to wield."

Annabeth shook her head, "the responsibility tends to be a load."

I heard Percy mumble something indistinct.

"What was that, Percy?" I asked.

"Stop for lunch?" he said.

Annabeth said, "we didn't bring anything."

"No problem," I said, fiddling with the bronze owl atop my helmet. The metal creature separated from my helmet, and took off to the sky.

"Wow," said Annabeth, staring at the spot on my helmet where the owl had just been perched. She frowned, "come to think of it, I think I remember reading about a helmet like that." Crap, this was not good. If she figured out the history behind this armor…

But she just shook her head, "can't remember."

Percy's eyes widened, "Wise Girl can't remember something she read!? Hallelujah!"

"Shut up," she mumbled.

Percy was about to say something else, when the owl retuned, a dead rabbit in its bronze talons.

"Cool!" exclaimed Annabeth. "It hunts!"

I grinned, "I know, right?"

The bronze owl dropped the dead animal at my feet and returned motionless to its perch on my helm.

"Well, let's find some firewood"

Several long hours later, we staggered into camp half blood. It sure didn't look like an easily defendable spot; perhaps it had some magical defense against intruders. Whatever the case, I strode up the large hill in the camp and got a nice view of the place, standing next to a lone pine tree. There were a large number of cabins, one for each god, probably. There were a lot I could identify; Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, and so on. However, there were many smaller ones that I could not identify; probably cabins to the more obscure, minor gods.

"Were headed there," said Percy, pointing to what I would describe as a big farm house. "Its called the big house". Figures.

**If you can guess who the main character's god-parent is, I will be extremely impressed...**


	2. Meet My Father

Right to Rule: Chapter 2

Meet My Father

_Several long hours later, we staggered into camp half blood. It sure didn't look like an easily defendable spot; perhaps it had some magical defense against intruders. Whatever the case, I strode up the large hill in the camp and got a nice view of the place, standing next to a lone pine tree. There were a large number of cabins, one for each god, probably. There were a lot I could identify; Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, and so on. However, there were many smaller ones that I could not identify; probably cabins to the more obscure, minor gods._

"_Were headed there," said Percy, pointing to what I would describe as a big farm house. "It's called the big house". Figures._

Once we got to the "big house," Annabeth told me to wait on the porch while she talked to Chiron. I wondered If she meant _the _Chiron, trainer of heroes and all that. So I did the natural thing; I put my ear to the keyhole.

I didn't catch much more than, "Anicetus," "God-parent," "he knows," "could be dangerous," "Owl helmet," and "need to find out." It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was enough. I needed to get out of there. They were going to grill me on who my father was.

Before I could dash off the porch, though, a feint apparition of a man appeared in front of me.

"Father," I said, kneeling respectfully.

"Rise, son," he commanded in a deep, powerful voice.

"I fear they may attempt to drag your identity out of me," I told him. "I was about to attempt an escape."

He sighed, "I think it is time."

I raised an eyebrow, "but that's what you thought last time, eighteen years ago, want it? You began to fade again." That incident was a disaster. He felt that he had gained enough power to re-materialize on the earth. He lasted awhile, hiding in secret, and then felt himself loosing strength again. He decided to leave and try again a few decades later, but not before impregnating my mother.

He nodded solemnly, "and I do not feel that I have any more strength than I had managed to accumulate last time. But I cannot seem to garner anymore."

"So you will fade again?"

"In all likelihood," he responded gravely.

"Then why even-"

"It's worth a shot," my father stated simply.

I nodded. I knew this was going to happen. But I also knew that war was likely to come out of it. I had run the scenario in my head a thousand times over. My father would show up, and Athena would see him. She'd be sad, angry at herself, for causing him three thousand years of torture. He'd see the look on her face, and he wouldn't be able to refrain from telling her the truth; that it wasn't her fault. She wouldn't believe him, so he'd be forced to tell her the _real_ reason he faded. Then Athena would get mad, and civil wars would ensue.

"I know what you're thinking, son," my father said.

I looked up at him, "did you love her?" I asked.

He sighed. "I suppose I did."

I nodded again. "How should I break it to them?"

"Let Chiron figure it out," said my father. "He's a smart old horse."

I nodded once more. "You will come to my aid if necessary?"

It was his turn to nod, "of course, my son. Goodbye." Then the apparition disappeared.

Perfect timing, I realized, as the door to the house opened and Annabeth stuck her head out, "come in now," she ordered.

I walked inside, not bothering to remove me helmet or armor. The wooden house looked truly rustic, and all there was in the main room was a low wooden table surrounded by chairs.

Chiron, in centaur form, was eyeing me suspiciously over the brim of some unknown drink.

"I…I think I recognize that armor," he said. "Athena wore it, long ago."

I nodded solemnly. "Do you remember anything else about the armor?" I asked as I lay the Aegis and spear on the table.

"I…I'm not…" then he saw the Aegis. "Is that…" he leaned in for a closer look. "Is that Athena's old Aegis?"

I nodded. He was coming close to the truth.

"Wait," Chiron said. "Now I recognize that armor. Athena sacrificed it, and that shield in mourning of the death of…of…" he looked into my grey eyes and paled.

"Are you? It's not? What? How?" Chiron stammered.

I nodded solemnly.

"Then you have a lot of explaining to do, son of Pallas," he said simply.

Annabeth's eyes widened in recognition of the name.

"Pallas?" inquire a confused Percy. "Isn't that, like, Athena's first name or something?"

"Not exactly," said Chiron. "It's an epithet. One that Athena took after killing Pallas."

"So this Pallas is evil?" said Percy, digging nervously through the pocket that I knew held his renowned sword.

Chiron shook his head, "it's a long story. The ancient Greeks weren't too sure about it themselves. Some writers described Pallas as a Giant. Other said he was her father, others sill said he was her lover. Some postulated that he might be a titan, or maybe her arch-nemesis," Chiron said. "But in reality, the two were best friends. An inseparable, and uncannily powerful, duo. They were young at the time, as far as the gods go. Athena had not yet ascended to her throne on Olympus."

"Athena and Pallas went everywhere together, did everything together. They were playmates, sparring partners, traveling partners, and just about everything else. But, unfortunately, things got complicated when the domains of Pallas were revealed," said Chiron solemnly. I nodded.

"Why?" asked Percy.

"Because of what they were," said Chiron. "I don't remember the full list, but-"

"Power, ethics, judgment, wisdom, reason, justice, strategy, tactics, morality, humility, honesty, integrity, and leadership," I recited from memory, counting on my fingers to be sure that I got them all.

Chiron nodded. "It was quite an impressive list. It overlapped with the domains of many other gods, too. But the most controversial thing was this; it made him a natural born leader."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

Annabeth slapped him, "just think about the list, Seaweed brain. 'Ethics, judgment, justice, wisdom, reason, strategy, morality, honesty, humility, integrity,'" she said. "All of the traits people expect in a perfect leader. And on top of that, 'leadership' itself is on the list as well."

"And it made Zeus nervous. He thought Pallas might usurp his power. Zeus e openly expressed a desire to send Pallas to Tartarus before he got to powerful. Athena stood in his way, though, and Zeus refused to lay a finger on his favorite daughter," Chiron described. "Then, Athena mortally wounded him in a sparring match. He was evacuated to Olympus, where he was treated, but he died anyways."

I nodded solemnly. This was the spot where the actual truth was different, but I decided to let my father explain that later.

"But if he was god, how did he die?" asked Percy.

I answered this time, "if a god is injured badly enough, and not given immediate and proper medical treatment, he can fade."

"Fade? Like what happened to Pan?" said Percy.

"Pan faded? When-"

"Yes, Percy, like Pan," interrupted Annabeth.

Chiron continued his story. "Athena was distraught, to say the least. She tried to kill herself at one point, but failed, of course. At the funeral, she sacrificed the armor, shield, and weapon she had worn and used during the fateful sparring match. It was her favorite, most powerful set, but she sacrificed it anyways."

"But," Chiron said, turning to me, "there must be some holes in the story, as a son of Pallas stands before us, wearing that very armor."

I nodded. "By eighteen years ago, my father had gathered all the strength he could store, and so he re-formed. He lived for about a year before he started fading again. He willed himself to de-form, but not before impregnating my mother. Fortunately, he did not lose any of the strength he had gathered. The problem was, though, it was simply not enough. He has spent the last eighteen years trying to figure out how he can re-form for good, but to no avail."

"But how have you talked to him, then?" asked Annabeth.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Well," she said, "you must have talked to him somehow, to know all that you do."

Nodding, I said, "he appears to me occasionally in spirit form to render advice or tutelage or make a request of me."

"That is not the whole story, I think," said Annabeth suspiciously.

"No, that _is _how I talk to him," I told her.

"I believe you on that count," she said. "I was speaking on the story of his death. There must be a reason you were reluctant to tell us that he was still alive."

"I…I am not sure that is for me to say, really," I told her nervously. I gulped and looked around. Everyone's eyes shot towards me.

"What?" I demanded.

They all pointed behind me. I looked. Golden and silver light was reeling around, coalescing into the shape of a man.

"Look away," I yelled, as there was an explosion of light. I averted my eyes, as everyone ducked and spun around.

When I finally looked back, my father stood there, but this time not as an apparition. He was real, tall and strong; his face not pale or washed of color. He was wearing…my armor and my helmet. I looked down at myself in surprise.

"It's still there, son," he assured me. And so it was. "The set you are wearing is actually a copy that I managed to make for you when I re-formed for the first time eighteen years ago. I knew you would need it when you grew up. This is actually a copy as well," he informed me, gesturing at the armor he was wearing. "The real deal is," he snapped his fingers, and a bag appeared next to him, "in this bag. I think I should give it back to Lady Athena, do you not?"

For the first time, my father noticed the three gaping figures in the room.

"Ah, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," he said to Percy. "My son has told me much of your exploits. I am impressed with you, young demigod. The tales of your heroism are, to say the least, amazing." Percy blushed and muttered. He probably wasn't used to being complimented by a god like that. The only god, other than my father, who was so open with their praise was Athena. And Athena, suffice it to say, wasn't exactly on good terms with Percy.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," my father said, turning to Annabeth. "I can see you inherited your mother's good looks. And her fighting abilities and intelligence, judging by what I have heard of your exploits by Percy's side." Now it was her turn to blush.

He turned to look at Chiron. "Chiron, my old friend. Still training these young upstarts, I see."

"Indeed, my lord," he responded.

"What's with all this 'my lord' stuff? It gets annoying, you know."

"Sorry, Pallas," he said awkwardly. "It is great to have you back."

My father nodded. "Sorry that I could not release my child to be trained by you," he said. "But I'm sure you can understand the necessity of hiding my continued my existence."

Chiron shook his head, "no, I do not understand."

"Then you will soon enough," said Pallas.

As if on cue, there was a flash of golden light, and it died to reveal the goddess Athena, standing in the center of the room, in all her blue-jeans-white-blouse glory.

"Ah," said Chiron weakly, "what brings you here?"

"Call it curiosity, I guess," she said. "I heard the name of an old friend mentioned an inordinate number of times. I wanted to see what the discussion was about." Then, she noticed me.

"What are you doing in that armor, boy!" she growled. "And for that matter, where did you…get…it," her voice faltered, as she looked behind me and noticed my father. "P…P….Pallas?" she stammered.

My father nodded.

Athena dashed across the room in a second, throwing herself at my father, wrapping him in a massive hug that he happily returned.

After a long minute, she pulled away. "Not that I'm not absolutely ecstatic to see you again," said Athena, "but how are you-"

"Alive?" interrupted my father. Athena nodded.

Dad grinned. "You really didn't think I could die, did you. I _am_ a _god_, after all."

"So you just…faded?" said Athena.

My dad nodded. "Three thousand years of tortured semi-existence."

"Oh, gods," Athena moaned, a tear streaking down her left cheek. "I…I…oh, gods."

"What?" asked my father, enfolding her in a hug that she didn't return or struggle from. Concerned, he took a step back and held her at arm's length. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry," sobbed Athena. "I can't believe you aren't mad…this is the sort of thing that not even a thousand apologies should be able to make up for."

"What is," asked my father, frowning.

She glared at him incredulously. "THIS," she shrieked. "I'M the one who killed you, caused you to fade, damned you to three thousand years of torture. It was me."

This was the point at which, I knew, my father would not be able to stand seeing her so distraught anymore. And I was right.

He pulled her into another hug, which she returned as she sobbed into his armored shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he said. Here we go. War of the gods level 'here we go.'

"What are you talking about? I killed you," she spat.

"No, you didn't. I could have been healed. I could have survived," my father said.

"What?!" Athena demanded. "They did try to heal you! My father took you up to Olympus, my father…my…father," her face paled in realization.

"ZEUS!" she yelled at the top her lungs.

In a flash of golden light, the King of the Gods appeared in the room.

"What is it, my daughter," he said, not noticing Pallas.

"I knew you hated him, BUT THIS IS OVER THE LINE!" she yelled. Wow, talk about mood swings.

"Wha…what?" he said, still not noticing Pallas.

"DON'T YOU PLAY INNOCENT WITH ME!"

"Wha…" then he finally noticed Pallas, and paled.

"You!" Zeus said, "YOU! I thought you were dead!"

"Hoped he was dead, more like," growled Athena.

More gods started appearing. Ares, Hera, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Hermes, Hades, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Hestia.

"You have to understand, Athena. He was a threat to us all," Zeus tried to explain.

"HOW?" demanded Athena, "because he would have been a perfect leader? Afraid he would have taken your precious throne?"

"Athena, calm yourself," cautioned Pallas.

"I will not," spat Athena. She rounded on her father, "you know what, he is a thousand times the person you are, father, and he deserves that throne a thousand times more than you do! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"Athena…"

"NOW!"

And with that, Zeus stormed out, followed by a slow trickle of other god, muttering amongst themselves. Athena stood fuming in a corner, looking very betrayed. Chiron was looking stunned, Percy was looking afraid for his life, and Annabeth was walking over to her mother cautiously. A few gods remained; Artemis and Apollo, looking nervously at their sister. Poseidon, probably worrying that all the raw power pent up inside the fuming goddess would explode and kill Percy.

"How did he do it?" muttered Athena.

"How did he do what?" said Pallas.

"Kill you," clarified Athena. "Cause you to fade."

"It was simple," said Pallas. "He kept the healers away from me, and threatened to cast them into Tartarus if they told you about it."

Athena looked like she could kill a small city just with her pure anger. "This is the last straw. I am going to cast that bastard into Tartarus."

"Athena, that is probably not a good idea," began Pallas.

"I am stronger than him," she snapped. "He _is _afraid of me. I _can_ defeat him. His uncountable injustices and infidelities have made him many enemies. They will surely join me. And," she added, looking at my father pleadingly, "you shall fight at my side. Like old times."

Pallas sighed. "I suppose it must come to this. But let it be known that this was _not_ my idea."

"Of course," said Athena, grinning. "I get all the credit for the victory."

"Now, now," said Pallas. "I didn't say that…"

I decided to interrupt. "He will have allies, too," I said. "Powerful ones. Hera and Ares, at least. Probably Aphrodite…"

Athena scoffed, "that little slut wouldn't be able to figure out what to do with a sword even if you tried to teach her."

"She has other weapons," I pointed out.

"But you will have us," piped up Artemis dragging Apollo forward.

Apollo looked just as surprised as the rest of us. "Wha?" he began, but he was cut off by a dangerous glare from his twin sister.

"We will fight with you, sister," said Artemis, "I am tired of father's controlling and womanizing. And," she added, glancing at Pallas, "what he did was just cruel."

"I will fight by your side, mom," piped up Annabeth.

"I guess that means I'm in too," said Percy. He looked expectantly at his father.

"What? Me? No," he started.

Percy glared at him, "I know you hate your brother."

Poseidon looked conflicted.

"Put aside your rivalry with Athena," I ventured. "Just this once."

Poseidon bit his lip. "Fine," he muttered.

My father looked expectantly at me.

"What?" I said, holding out my shield and spear in a surprised gesture. "I mean, it goes without saying, really." My father smiled. "Now," I said, "I believe you had a gift to give…"

"Oh, yes," said my father, bending down and rooting through the bag at his feet, "I have something for you, Athena."

She gaped as he pulled out a polished set of armor and a bronze helmet with a bronze owl statue atop it. Her old armor; the real set. I had never seen if before, so I didn't know that there was a difference. But, the real deal was shinier, regaler, stronger, and much more beautiful looking.

"Because you had sacrificed it to my memory, it reappeared at me feet the first time I re-formed. The sets my son and I are wearing are just forged copies," he explained. "They are not as strong or resilient. This," he said, handing her the armor and helmet, "is the real set."

"Thank you…I" stammered Athena.

"Don't mention it," said Pallas. Athena just stared at it. "Well, aren't you going to put it on?"

"Oh, yes," she said, sounding a bit giddy, like Aphrodite finding the perfect dress. Okay, not that giddy. Not anywhere near that giddy.

Athena snapped her fingers, and in a flash of light she was wearing the armor. She walked to stand by my father's side. I must say, they looked quite the couple in their matching armor. They had the same eyes, too. Come to think of it, it looked sort of eerie. Then I realized that I was wearing the same armor, too. _Really_ eerie.

Then I realized that neither of them was holding an Aegis. It must have been too difficult to replicate. Which meant that I was holding the real thing. So I tossed it to Athena. "I think this belongs to you," I said.

She caught it easily, and examined it. "Thank you," she murmured. She looked me in the eyes, and then looked at Pallas. "Is this your son?" she asked him.

He nodded, and told her my name. Athena surveyed me coldly.

I squirmed uncomfortably. It felt like I was being analyzed by a machine.

"Well, he has your eyes," concluded Athena. "And your hair." Then, she pulled out a sword and swung it at my neck. I blocked it on my forearm guard as I reached for my spear and swung it around to swipe the sword out of the way. Athena took a step back and replaced her sword in its scabbard. "And your fighting ability, I see. Anicetus…unconquerable….fitting," she concluded.

My father nodded proudly.

I shuddered involuntarily. "Uhm, am I done being judged?"

"I am always judging, young man," said Athena. I shuddered again.

At that point Percy inched over to me and whispered, "be careful what you say, dude. You don't want to get on her bad side. She can be pretty darn scary."

"I heard that," said Athena. Percy paled instantly, but from Athena's expression you would think that Christmas had come early. I guess she liked intimidating people. Or just enjoyed intimidating Percy. Either way, I made a mental note to make sure not to get her angry.

I looked around and realized that Artemis and Apollo were gone. She had probably left to fetch her hunters. I had heard that the head hunter was a daughter of Zeus. That could become problematic…

So, there was an awkward silence, and with Apollo not around to recite poetry, the silence lasted awhile.

"I think I will depart, eh?" said Poseidon, grabbing his son by the collar and dragging him out. Chiron followed them.

'Finally," huffed Pallas.

"I thought he would never get the message," complained Athena.

"Um…what?" I said.

"Well, it will be difficult for us to catch up with my arch-rival breathing down my neck, don't ya think," explained Athena.

"He's your ally now," I pointed out.

She didn't respond. She and my father were both looking at me pointedly. I took that as my cue to leave.

As I made for the door, I heard Annabeth say, "this is _our_ camp. Find somewhere else to have your discussion."

I turned around. "Ah, good point," Pallas said.

"Anicetus, Annabeth. You two are going to need to figure out what the demigods are going to do during this war. They could stay out of it, of course, but I have the feeling that the Ares children will be eager to fight alongside their father if you decided to keep the camp out of it," said Athena. She had a point, of course. Many gods had children.

And with that, the two left. Chiron came trotting back in. "Well, that was certainly…" he began.

"Disastrous!" I yelled. "Now we have a civil war on our hands!"

"We should definitely keep the demigods out of this one," put in Annabeth.

"I agree," I told her, "but Athena is right. The Ares children _will_ want to fight alongside their father if he joins Zeus in the fight. And," I added, fingering my spear, "some on our side will want to fight as well."

"By 'some' you mean that you will want to fight with your father," guessed Chiron.

I nodded. "But you," I said, leveling my spear threateningly at Annabeth, "will stay out of it. And everyone else."

"We have as much a right to fight alongside our parents as you do, Anicetus," she told me, grasping the shaft of my spear and pointing it away.

I frowned.

A conch shell sounded in the distance.

"That's the call to dinner," said Chiron. "I suppose you will want to stay at Camp tonight?" he asked me.

I nodded. "It's too late to be heading back into the forest. But I have no cabin here."

Chiron nodded, "you can sit with the counselors at the head table for the time being. And we can put you up in the Hermes cabin for the night."

"Actually," came Athena's voice. I looked around startled, and noticed an Iris message of Athena nearby. My father was standing behind her. "I want him to dine and stay with my children. His father and I are friends, and I would feel horrible to not extend hospitality to his son."

Oh, this was just great. Dinner with a bunch of overly curious genius-level children of Athena. Notice the sarcasm?

Athena must have noticed my expression, because she added, "don't worry. Your father shares in my domain of reason and wisdom. I am sure you are on a similar intellectual level to that of my children."

She might be right, I realized. I actually wasn't sure how smart or wise I was. Living mostly in isolation in the forest, I had never met enough other people to really judge myself relative to the norm.

"Very well," nodded Chiron as Athena swiped her hand, cutting off the message. "Annabeth, would you lead our guest to the dining pavilion," ordered Chiron.

She nodded, and led me out the door.

"Actually," Annabeth said, glancing at me, "do you want to change out of that armor first?"

"No," I said simply. I liked to have my armor on whenever I was around people I did not know. It was a precaution; if word got out about the civil war while we were having diner, all Hades would break loose.

"Suit yourself," she said, shrugging. She unfastened her armor, and carried it with her to the dining pavilion. I was getting strange looks from the demigods at the pavilion as I walked through. Must have been the armor. I glanced at the meager breastplate Annabeth was carrying, and realized that they don't usually wear a whole lot of armor. Or maybe they were staring at me because of my helmet. Oh, wait. They'd never seen me before. That would explain it.

I walked up to the table where the food was arranged, ignoring some stares from nearby demigods. This was going to be a long meal.

**Eh, I'm not too happy with the last fifth or so, but its the best I could come up with. Updates are going to come slowly for this story; I am mostly going to be focusing on my other story, Rule the Waves...**


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